Cinnamon & Rubies // The Outsiders

twenty-eight

TW: this chapter is, understandably, violent

Her lungs burned and her feet ached from how fast she sprinted from the Dingo to her house. She was sure she cut her foot somewhere along the route but she didn't have time to worry about that. Caroline stopped just outside of the house and sucked in a deep breath. She smoothed her hands down the front of her uniform and steadied her shoulders.

Opening the door, Caroline was greeted with the sight of her mother, brother, and sister seated on the couch as her father pointed a gun at them. Caroline inclined her head in greeting and passed by them as if it were any other day.

"Pa, good to see you again. How was prison? Want anything to drink? We ain't got any of your regular stuff but would water do?" Caroline moved into the kitchen where she knew she was still partly visible.

"Get in here, you stupid little bitch," Robert snarled. Caroline clucked her tongue disapprovingly and scanned the shelf before her. Her hand reached up to the top row of glasses and she nodded to herself.

"So is that a no to a refreshment?" she asked sweetly.

"I said get in here!"

Caroline stepped out from behind the wall, a shotgun in her hand. She checked the casings and locked it into place, disengaging the safety and cocking it into place. The cinnamon haired girl smiled tightly and stepped forward, placing herself behind Helen and her siblings.

"You rang?"

"You'll put that down if you know what's good for ya," Robert growled.

Caroline scoffed and stared at him with a bored expression. "Right, cause you know what's good for me. Tell me, Pa, did you think we'd be stupid enough to not arm ourselves after your last stunt? Now this is how it's gonna work. You don't want Teddy and Louise so you're gonna let 'em go. You want Ma and me, ain't that right? We're the two no good bitches who put your ass in prison. So you're gonna let Teddy and Louise go and I ain't gonna blow your ass sky high."

Robert stared her down, identical pairs of eyes clashing with each other. He raised his hands just slightly and jerked his chin towards the door. Helen pushed Teddy and Louise towards the door and they bolted out, leaving the three adults behind.

"You always were such a coward," Caroline taunted. "Hidin' behind your booze bottles. Actin' like the tough guy. Pathetic coward."

"Clearly I did a piss poor job teaching you to control that mouth."

"You didn't teach me nothin' except how to clean a blood stain out of a carpet. I always wondered why my Pa hated me. Why didn't he treat me like the other kids Pa's loved them. I stopped wonderin' when I grew up. I realized it was because you just aren't man enough."

A shot fired over her head and flew into the kitchen, knocking out the light. Caroline didn't even flinch. Instead, she leveled her shotgun with his head.

"You always had shit aim," she drawled.

Helen took this as her chance. She rushed at Robert, knocking him into the ground. The two went rolling along the floor, giving Caroline a chance to run for his gun. Robert threw Helen to the side and Caroline tossed her the shotgun. She lunged at her father, straddling him as she grabbed his wrists and worked to pry the pistol out of his hands.

Follow through, Darry's words floated through her mind. Caroline kept one hand on his wrist and raised the other in a fist. She swung down, colliding with his cheek with a satisfying smack. Robert dropped the gun and Helen kicked it away. She pointed the shotgun down at her ex-husband as Caroline pinned him to the ground.

"You...you always were so stupid," Robert gasped out. He broke free easily from Caroline and hauled her up, holding her in front of him as a shield. His hand curled around her throat, cutting off her air. Caroline let out a choked wheeze and jabbed her elbow back into his stomach but he wrapped an arm over her torso, pinning her arms to her side.

Helen watched them warily, her gaze darting back and forth between her daughter and Robert. Caroline winked at her and pulled her hand out of her apron pocket, showing Helen the pocket knife she had gotten at Christmas. Caroline slowly unsheathed it, her vision swimming with black spots as Robert's hand tightened around her throat.

"I should have killed you a long time ago," Robert hissed.

"Yeah?" Helen scoffed. "Me too."

Caroline flipped the knife over in her hand and jabbed it straight into Robert's thigh. He released her with a shout of pain and Caroline moved back to stand by her mother. Robert yanked the blade out and inspected it. A cruel laugh escaped him and he shook his head.

And then he lunged for Caroline.

Everything happened so quickly. A shot fired, Helen screamed, and Caroline went sprawling out onto the ground. Her vision swam from impact but she blinked away the dizziness and forced herself to focus. Robert was on top of Helen, the bloody knife held in his hand. He drove it down into Helen's neck just as Caroline kicked her foot out and made contact with his side but he didn't budge.

"C'mon you fucking coward! C'mon! Kill me! It's me you want!" Caroline screamed. "You hate me because you never wanted me. That's right, ain't it? So kill me."

"Caroline," Helen sobbed.

Caroline extended her arms out by her side and sat up. "I'm free reign, you stupid bitch."

He took the bait easily. Caroline readied herself for the blows. Her ribs cracked under his third kick and her chin was bloodied by the fourth punch. It was just like when she was a kid and he didn't like the way she set the table. Teaching her manners is what he called it. Correcting her behavior. Caroline was tired. Her eyes shut for a moment and she grimaced as his rings dug into the skin above her brow.

How did she get here? Wasn't it only a few days ago that Darry was kissing the very spot that blood dripped down her face? Darry... She wondered what he was doing right now. Was he working? Did Sodapop get to school on time? Would Helen know which book was the only one Louise would fall asleep to?

Robert got tired of beating her with his fists and instead went back to his classic approach of choking her to death. Caroline inhaled deeply right before his hands enclosed around her trachea. She stared up at him, at those same shade of brown eyes that she had, and she grinned.

Footsteps sounded outside and shouts echoed outside, but Caroline could only focus on one thing. Her fingers curled around the barrel of the shotgun next to her and she swiftly raised it, pressing the muzzle right against his chest and pulling the trigger. Robert stared at her in shock. His grip loosened as he stumbled back and promptly collapsed onto the floor. Caroline dropped the gun and let out a sob.

"Care!"

"Darry," she whispered.

"Dear God, Caroline." Her vision was blurry and blood covered, but there was no mistaking his massive form. He kneeled next to her and gently touched her battered face. Caroline raised her hand and he grabbed it, tangling his fingers with hers.

"Medics are on their way. You're gonna be okay, sweet girl. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry I wasn't here. You're gonna be okay."

Caroline swallowed against the burning in her throat. She could feel herself slipping under the veil of sleep. "You came."

"Always. I promised you. And so now you gotta fight. Can you do that, pretty girl? Can you fight for me?"

"'M so tired, Dare."

"I know. I know. You just gotta last it out a few more minutes. Okay? Keep your eyes on me. Caroline. Caroline!"

Her head lolled back against the blood soaked carpet as her grip loosened in his hand and she slowly went limp.